mischievous

adjective

ˈmis-chə-vəs How to pronounce mischievous (audio)
Definition of mischievousnext
1
as in wicked
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness the children had been so mischievous that we had to pay the babysitter extra and then clean up the mess

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dangerous
causing or capable of causing harm mischievous gossip that ruined a good teacher's reputation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mischievous The stories feature the titular George, a mischievous, tailless, almost-always-smiling monkey exploring New York City, and his human companion, the Man in the Yellow Hat. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 The extended chords radiated color, but despite the influence of hip-hop and video-game music, the playing felt less mischievous than relentlessly mechanical. — Rae-Aila Crumble, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026 The former child star played mischievous middle child Randy Taylor on the Tim Allen sitcom. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 30 July 2026 Catching mischievous agents in real time The Hugging Face incident reveals the importance of real-time monitoring. — Harry Booth, Time, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mischievous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mischievous
  1. wicked
  2. naughty
  3. dangerous
  4. playful
  5. bad
  6. harmful
  7. impish
  8. adverse
Adjective
  • Along with other large parts of Northwest Indiana, East Chicago was hit with power outages following a wicked storm that blasted through the area a week ago Tuesday.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The electric 2026 Subaru Uncharted GT is wicked fast on the highway but rugged enough to tackle off-road duties.
    — Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of wicked
Adjective
  • When Martín is kidnapped by a monster, Cleo ventures into the jungle to rescue him, aided by an elderly witch and a naughty anteater.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 9 July 2026
  • People would hang from windows, encouraging you to do naughty things, and my thumb has never been sorer from back-and-forth gestures.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of naughty
Adjective
  • The desert’s location on the southern border has led to many migrants attempting to cross it by using dangerous backcountry routes, the experts said.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Rather, this is a dangerous, shape-shifting synthetic entity that ravaged their entire planet.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Adjective
  • Classic tees for effortless layering, elegant slips for summer’s heat, statement skirts for a touch of drama, and playful outerwear for the season ahead.
    — Minty Mellon, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026
  • This flash of color feels like a playful wink—there’s something just a little Wes Anderson about it.
    — Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of playful
Adjective
  • Neighbors said the rotten-egg smell has gotten worse over the last couple of weeks, even trailing to apartments across the street.
    — Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • For Panama, the result is a wet season that’s already been drier than usual and is likely to get worse.
    — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • Child development experts have noted teenagers are more susceptible to social comparison than adults, so products that reward popularity can be more harmful to their mental health.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Beneficial bacteria also provide colonization resistance, competing with harmful microbes for nutrients and attachment sites while producing substances that inhibit their growth.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • Ahead of the comedy’s second season, FX brought on Danny DeVito to play Dennis and Dee’s impish, absentee businessman father, Frank, in hopes that his presence would bring in more viewers.
    — Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The wild card in the Society is Gloria (Greta Lee, dazzlingly good), an impish sprite who’s hard to pin down.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of impish
Adjective
  • Then England attracted adverse attention for openly drinking in the Queensland resort of Noosa when 2-0 down in a one-sided Ashes series in Australia.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Women with high occupational heat exposure were roughly twice as likely to suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth as those working in cooler conditions, and faced elevated risks of adverse birth outcomes overall.
    — Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of adverse

Browse Nearby Words

mischiefs
mischievous
mischievousness
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Cite this Entry

“Mischievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mischievous. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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